Decorative packaging kit and methods of production and use thereof

ABSTRACT

A decorative packaging kit includes at least one element of a package for a container and at least one item to be packaged in the container. Methods of producing and using the kit are disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCESTATEMENT

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a kit constructed inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the contents of the kit of FIG. 1disposed outside of a packaging.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a decoratively wrapped package formedfrom the kit of FIGS. 1-2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a kit constructedin accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the contents of the kit of FIG. 4disposed outside of a packaging.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a kit constructedin accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a kitconstructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s) in detail, it is to be understood that thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) is not limited inits application to the details of construction and the arrangement ofthe components or steps or methodologies set forth in the followingdescription or illustrated in the drawings. The presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodiments or of beingpracticed or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understoodthat the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purposeof description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Unless otherwise defined herein, technical terms used in connection withthe presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) shall have themeanings that are commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in theart. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singular terms shallinclude pluralities and plural terms shall include the singular.

All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publicationsmentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill ofthose skilled in the art to which this presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) pertains. All patents, published patentapplications, and non-patent publications referenced in any portion ofthis application are herein expressly incorporated by reference in theirentirety to the same extent as if each individual patent or publicationwas specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated byreference.

All of the articles and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can bemade and executed without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the articles and methods of the presently disclosedand claimed inventive concept(s) have been described in terms ofpreferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the artthat variations may be applied to the articles and/or methods and in thesteps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein withoutdeparting from the concept, spirit, and scope of the presently disclosedand claimed inventive concept(s). All such similar substitutes andmodifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to bewithin the spirit, scope, and concept of the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s) as defined by the appended claims.

As utilized in accordance with the present disclosure, the followingterms, unless otherwise indicated, shall be understood to have thefollowing meanings:

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term“comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” butit is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,”and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims isused to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer toalternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, althoughthe disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternativesand “and/or.” Throughout this application, the term “about” is used toindicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for thedevice, the method being employed to determine the value, or thevariation that exists among the study subjects. For example but not byway of limitation, when the term “about” is utilized, the designatedvalue may vary by plus or minus twelve percent, or eleven percent, orten percent, or nine percent, or eight percent, or seven percent, or sixpercent, or five percent, or four percent, or three percent, or twopercent, or one percent. The use of the term “at least one” will beunderstood to include one as well as any quantity more than one,including but not limited to, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100,etc. The term “at least one” may extend up to 100 or 1000 or more,depending on the term to which it is attached; in addition, thequantities of 100/1000 are not to be considered limiting, as higherlimits may also produce satisfactory results. In addition, the use ofthe term “at least one of X, Y and Z” will be understood to include Xalone, Y alone, and Z alone, as well as any combination of X, Y and Z.The use of ordinal number terminology (i.e., “first”, “second”, “third”,“fourth”, etc.) is solely for the purpose of differentiating between twoor more items and is not meant to imply any sequence or order orimportance to one item over another or any order of addition, forexample.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (andany form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having”(and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and anyform of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing”(and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) areinclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecitedelements or method steps.

The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to allpermutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term.For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to includeat least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is importantin a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB.Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations thatcontain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, MB, BBC,AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan willunderstand that typically there is no limit on the number of items orterms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.

As used herein, the term “substantially” means that the subsequentlydescribed event or circumstance completely occurs or that thesubsequently described event or circumstance occurs to a great extent ordegree. For example, the term “substantially” means that thesubsequently described event or circumstance occurs at least 90% of thetime, or at least 95% of the time, or at least 98% of the time.

The term “padded filled material” as used herein will refer to anymaterial that may be disposed within a container and contribute to thepackaging of one or more objects in the container. The padded fillermaterial may serve to cushion, support, and/or decoratively present theobject(s) within the container as well as fill at least a portion of thecontainer. Non-limiting examples of padded filler material utilized inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)include decorative grass, grass-like material, packing material,combinations thereof, and the like. Particular examples of padded fillermaterial are well known in the art, and therefore no further descriptionthereof is deemed necessary.

The term “covering” as utilized herein includes any type of cover orwrapper that is positionable about a container for decorativelypackaging the container. Any type of covering known in the art orotherwise contemplated herein capable of functioning as disclosed hereinis encompassed within the scope of the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of coverings utilized inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)include a sheet of wrapping material, a roll of wrapping material, abag, a sleeve, combinations thereof, and the like. Particular examplesof coverings are well known in the art, and therefore no furtherdescription thereof is deemed necessary.

The term “renewable polymer material” as used herein will be understoodto refer to environmentally-friendly materials that are renewable and/orsustainable. The terms “renewable polymer material” and “sustainablepolymer material” are therefore used herein interchangeably. Renewablepolymer materials are known in the art and have been developed toreplace petrochemical polymer materials and reduce carbon emissions.Renewable polymer materials are formed from crop or raw materials suchas, but not limited to, wheat, potatoes, corn, farmed wood,plant-derived sugars or lipids, soy or castor oil, and the like.Examples of polymers formed from these crop or raw materials include,but are not limited to, starch-based polymers, Polylactic acid (PLA),cellulose, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and the like. In addition, theterm “renewable polymer materials” utilized in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) will also beunderstood to include copolymers of any of the above.

Particular examples of renewable polymer materials that may be utilizedin accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s) include, but are not limited to, a starch polymer such asMATER-BI® (Novamont, Novara, Italy); a Polylactic acid, such asNatureWorks® PLA (Nature Works/Cargill, Minneapolis, Minn.); a PHA, suchas MIREL™ (Metabolix, Cambridge, Mass.); and the various materialsdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,421, issued to Brinton, Jr. on Oct. 21,1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,216, issued to Tomka on Sep. 2, 1997; U.S.Pat. No. 6,669,771, issued to Tokiwa et al. on Dec. 30, 2003; U.S. Pat.No. 6,310,171, issued to Naito et al. on Oct. 30, 2001; U.S. Pat. No.5,922,379, issued to Wang on Jul. 13, 1999; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,536,issued to Tomka on Jan. 6, 1998; the contents of each of which is herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, theabove-referenced materials are provided for illustrative purposes only,and it is to be understood that the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) is not limited to use of such materials, butincludes any renewable polymer materials known in the art that arecapable of functioning in accordance with the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s).

The term “biodegradable polymer material” as used herein will beunderstood to refer to environmentally-friendly materials that aredegradable and/or compostable. Such materials may bedegradable/compostable by various living organisms or by exposure tolight and/or oxygen. Therefore, the term “biodegradable polymermaterial”, as used herein, will be understood to include materials thatare oxobiodegradable, photobiodegradable, and microbial biodegradable.Such materials may also be referred to as “bioplastics” within the art,and therefore the term “bioplastic” may also be used interchangeablyherein with the term “biodegradable polymer material”.

Examples of biodegradable polymer materials that may be utilized inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)include, but are not limited to, bioplastics made with plastarchmaterial (PSM), and polylactic acid (PLA), certain aliphatic-aromaticco-polyester compounds such as succinates and adipates, and the like. Inaddition, the term “biodegradable polymer materials” utilized inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)will also be understood to include copolymers of any of the above.

The degradation products of biodegradable polymer materials utilized inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)may be recycled or subjected to proper disposal methods, such as but notlimited to, incineration or landfill disposal. If the degradationproducts are suitable for recycling, the biodegradable polymer materialmay also be described as a renewable polymer material, as described indetail herein above.

The term “bonding material” when used herein refers to an adhesive,frequently a pressure-sensitive adhesive, or a cohesive or anyadhesive/cohesive combination having adhesive qualities (i.e., qualitiesof adhesion or adhesion/cohesion, respectively) sufficient to connect apackaging material disclosed and claimed herein (such as a covering,decorative grass/packing material, securing element, and/or a label) toa container or other desired object. Since the bonding material maycomprise either an adhesive or an adhesive/cohesive combination, it willbe appreciated that both adhesives and cohesives are known in the art,and both are commercially available. When the bonding material is acohesive, a similar cohesive material must be placed on the adjacentsurface for bondingly contacting and bondingly engaging with thecohesive material. The term “bonding material” also includes materialswhich are heat sealable and, in this instance, the adjacent portions ofthe material must be brought into contact and then heat must be appliedto affect the seal. The term “bonding material” also includes materialswhich are sonically sealable and vibratory sealable. The term “bondingmaterial” when used herein also includes a heat sealing lacquer or hotmelt material which may be applied to the material and, in thisinstance, heat, sound waves, or vibrations, also must be applied toeffect the sealing.

The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any type ofmaterial or thing which can be used to effect the bonding or connectingdescribed herein. For example but not by way of limitation, a cold sealadhesive may be utilized as the bonding material. The cold seal adhesiveadheres only to a similar substrate, acting similarly as a cohesive, andbinds only to itself. The cold seal adhesive, since it bonds only to asimilar substrate, does not cause a residue to build up on equipment,thereby both permitting much more rapid disposition and use of suchequipment to form articles and reducing labor costs. A cold sealadhesive binds quickly and easily with minimal pressure, and such a sealis not readily releasable. This characteristic is different from, forexample, a pressure sensitive adhesive.

The term “bonding material” when used herein also includes any heat orchemically shrinkable material, and static electrical or otherelectrical materials, chemical welding materials, magnetic materials,mechanical, or barb-type fastening materials or clamps, curl-typecharacteristics of the film, or materials incorporated in material whichcan cause the material to take on certain shapes, cling films, slots,grooves, shrinkable materials and bands, curl materials, springs, andany type of welding method.

The term “label” as used herein will be understood to include any pieceof material capable of attachment to an object(s) (or attached and/orintegrally formed with an object(s)) and either having informationdisposed thereon or providing an area upon which information may bedisposed. Non-limiting examples of labels that may be utilized inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)include a card, a tag, a gift tag, a sticker, a ticket, and the like, aswell as combinations and variations thereof.

The term “securing element” as used herein will be understood to includeany element that is capable of securing a covering about a container asdescribed or otherwise contemplated herein. Any securing element knownin the art or otherwise capable of functioning as described herein maybe utilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of securing elements includerubber bands, elastic bands, non-elastic bands, string, ribbon, wire,plastic, shrink films, tape, labels, elastic ribbon, wire ties, twistties, stretch film, metal strips, adhesive materials, cohesivematerials, barbs, slots, pins, clips, staples, springs, magnets, heatseals, chemical seals, vibratory seals, and combinations thereof.

The term “packaging” as used herein will be understood to include anyelement(s) that associate the content(s) of the kits contemplated hereinwith one another. Non-limiting examples of packaging that may beutilized in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) include a bag, a wrapper, adhesive, cohesive, tape,a flexible container, a rigid container, stretch wrap, shrink wrap, andcombinations thereof.

The term “associate” as used herein will be understood to refer to thedirect or indirect connection of two or more items.

Turning now to the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s),decorative packaging kits and methods of production and use thereof aredisclosed. In one embodiment, the kit includes at least one element of apackage for a container and at least one item to be packaged in thecontainer. The element of a package for a container may include one ormore of a covering, a padded filler material, a securing element, and/ora label. In certain embodiments, the kit may contain two of the packageelements, or three of the package elements, or all four of the packageelements. The kit may also include a plurality of a single element,i.e., two or more coverings, two or more securing elements, etc. In aparticular embodiment, the kit includes a covering for placement about acontainer and a padded filler material for placement into the container;in this embodiment, the padded filler material may be further defined asa grass and/or grass-like material.

Any object(s) that could be included within a kit and that are desirablefor packaging within a container fall within the scope of items to bepackaged in the container in accordance with the presently disclosed andclaimed inventive concept(s). Non-limiting examples of item(s) that maybe included in the kits for packaging within a container include atleast one of an egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy (such as butnot limited to, shovels and scoops); a plush toy; a plant seed and/orbulb; a tool (such as but not limited to, gardening tools); egg coloringmaterial; a coloring, activity, and/or story book; a school supply; agift item; a sticker; a decal; a temporary tattoo; confetti; a lightedobject; and combinations thereof. Multiple items may be disposedtogether in a kit, and the plurality of items may be the same type ofitem or different types of items (or a combination thereof). For examplebut not by way of limitation, the kit may contain one or more eggs, aswell as one or more items capable of disposal within an egg.

In another embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s), a kit is provided that includes a covering positionableabout a container, a decorative grass disposable within the containerabout which the covering is positionable, at least one item disposableon the grass disposable within the container about which the covering ispositionable (the item(s) being as described herein above), and asecuring element capable of securing the covering in a position aboutthe container. The kit may further include a label, and the label may beattached to at least one of the above items and/or disposable thereon.The kit also includes packaging in which the above items are disposed.

The decorative grass may be formed by any method disclosed herein orotherwise known or contemplated in the art. For example but not by wayof limitation, the decorative grass may be directly extruded intostrips, or the decorative grass may be produced by slitting and/orcutting a sheet or web of material. In addition, the decorative grassmay be constructed of a single layer of material or a plurality oflayers of the same or different types of materials. The layers ofmaterial may be laminated together or connected together by any methodknown in the art. The decorative grass may be formed of any material(s)known in the art, including but not limited to, paper, crepe paper,polymeric material, laminated polymeric material, wax paper, paperhaving a shape sustaining agent applied to at least one side, paperhaving a lacquer applied to at least one side, renewable/biodegradablepolymer materials, as well as any combination or lamination thereof.

Any of the elements described herein above (i.e., coverings, decorativegrasses, etc.) may be provided with at least one of a color, a design,and a decorative pattern disposed on at least a portion thereof. Thecolor(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be disposed on the element(s)by any method known in the art, including but not limited to, printing,etching, embossing, texturing, flocking, coating, lacquering,application during extrusion, and the like. The color(s), design(s)and/or pattern(s) may be applied to the element(s) separately orsimultaneously or may be characterized totally or partially bypearlescent, translucent, transparent, iridescent, optical effect, paperlike, cloth like, or other similar qualities. Each of the above-namedcharacteristics may occur alone or in combination and may be applied toa portion of any surface of the element(s). Moreover, when theelement(s) is formed of two or more layers of material, each of thelayers of material may vary in the combination of such characteristics.

In addition, when two or more design(s) and/or pattern(s) are providedon the elements(s), the design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be in registerwith one another or out of register with one another. Alternatively, aportion of the two or more design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be inregister with one another, while another portion of the two or moredesign(s) and/or pattern(s) may be out of register with one another.

In addition, the color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may be orientedalong a length and/or a width of the element(s). The color(s), design(s)and/or pattern(s) may be complete in either or both directions, (i.e.,length and width), or the color(s), design(s) and/or pattern(s) may beincomplete (i.e., cut-apart) in one or both directions.

The term “optical effect material” as used herein is to be understood tomean any material capable of changing appearance, such as perspectiveand/or color, as the angle of view of such material changes. Opticaleffect materials include, but are not limited to, iridescent materials,materials having one or more holograms, and the like.

The term “cloth-like” will be used interchangeably herein with the term“texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance ofcloth”. Examples of decorative grass having a texture or appearancesimulating the texture or appearance of cloth have previously beendisclosed by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,967, issued Jul. 30,2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,735, issued Jan. 28, 2003; U.S. Pat. No.6,673,422, issued Jan. 6, 2004; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,902,644, issued Jun.7, 2005. The contents of each of the above-referenced patents are herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

The term “paper-like” will be used interchangeably herein with the term“texture and/or appearance simulating the texture and/or appearance ofpaper”. Examples of decorative grass having a texture or appearancesimulating the texture or appearance of paper have previously beendisclosed by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,960, issued Oct. 9,2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,651, issued Jun. 18, 2002; U.S. Pat. No.6,491,997, issued Dec. 10, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,198, issued Apr.29, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,408, issued Nov. 11, 2003; and U.S. Pat.No. 6,649,242, issued Nov. 18, 2003. The contents of each of theabove-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

In addition, any of the element(s) present in the kits of the presentlydisclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may have a scent disposedthereon or therein. The scent may be disposed on or in the element(s) byany methods known in the art. Non-limiting examples of decorative grasshaving a scent disposed therein have been previously disclosed by theinventor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,656,593, issued Dec. 2, 2003; U.S. Pat. No.6,737,161, issued May 18, 2004; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,764, issued Mar.8, 2005. The entire contents of each of the above-referenced patents arehereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Any of the decorative grass constructed in accordance with the presentlydisclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may be provided with one ormore distortions formed therein. Such distortions may include, but arenot limited to, curls, crimps, corrugations, and combinations thereof.The distortions may be formed by any method known in the art orotherwise contemplated therein. Non-limiting examples of methods ofdisposing distortions in decorative grass include contact with adistortion-forming surface (such as but not limited to, a curl bar),stretch lamination of a smaller sheet of material to a larger sheet ofmaterial, application of a shape sustaining or stiffening agent or adifferentially contracting or expanding agent to a portion of thedecorative grass and/or material from which the decorative grass isformed, or by any other methods known in the art. Particular methods offorming a curl in a decorative grass have been previously described indetail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,887, issued Mar. 17, 2009; U.S. Pat. No.6,669,620, issued Dec. 30, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,408, issued Nov.11, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,436,324, issued Aug. 20, 2002; U.S. Pat. No.5,891,286, issued Apr. 6, 1999; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,765, issued onMar. 8, 2005; and in US Patent Application No. 2009/0305861, publishedDec. 10, 2009. The entire contents of the above-referenced patents andpatent applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

In addition, the decorative grass utilized in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) may have at leastone corrugation/fold formed therein. Methods of formingcorrugations/folds are known in the art, and any method known in the artor otherwise contemplated therein may be utilized in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Non-limitingexamples of forming folded, corrugated grass have been previouslydescribed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,989,178, issued Jan. 24, 2006;U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,615, issued Feb. 3, 2004; U.S. Pat. No. 6,638,584,issued Oct. 28, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,675, issued Jun. 11, 2002;U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,241, issued Apr. 2, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,472,issued Aug. 21, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,000, issued Apr. 24, 2001;U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,783, issued Feb. 20, 2001; U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,574,issued Jun. 6, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,907, issued Jul. 13, 1999; U.S.Pat. No. 5,871,432, issued Feb. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,008,issued Aug. 12, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,352, issued Dec. 22, 1992; andU.S. Pat. No. 5,134,013, issued Jul. 28, 1992. The entire contents ofeach of the above-referenced patents are hereby expressly incorporatedherein by reference. However, the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) is not limited to forming corrugated decorativegrass in the manner disclosed in the above patents, but ratherencompasses corrugated decorative grass formed by any method known inthe art. The methods of forming distortions described herein above areprovided for purposes of illustration only, and are not to be regardedas limiting. Any methods of forming distortions in a decorative grass orpacking material (or the material from which the decorative grass orpacking material is formed) may be utilized in accordance with thepresently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

Packing materials constructed in accordance with the presently disclosedand claimed inventive concept(s) may be formed by any of the methodsdisclosed herein above or otherwise known in the art. Particular,non-limiting examples of prior packing materials known in the art aredisclosed in U.S. Pats. No. 6,561,356; 6,534,136; 6,401,436; 6,390,300;and 6,253,921. The contents of each of the above-referenced patents arehereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The label may be integrally formed with any of the covering, decorativegrass, the at least one item, the securing element, and/or thepackaging. Optionally, the label may be separate from the othercomponents of the kit. When the label is formed separately, a bondingmaterial may be disposed thereon.

Another embodiment of the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s) includes a method of providing a decoratively wrappedpackage. Any of the decorative packaging kits described or otherwisecontemplated herein may be utilized in the method. For example, but notby way of limitation, at least one object may be placed within acontainer, and the at least one element of a package for a container isdisposed in and/or about the container to provide the decorativelywrapped package.

In another particular embodiment of the method, the packaging in whichthe various elements are disposed is opened, and the decorative grass isdisposed within a container. The at least one item is disposed on or inthe decorative grass (which may occur before or after the decorativegrass is disposed within the container). The covering is then positionedabout the container before or after the decorative grass and/or at leastone item is disposed therein. The covering is secured in a positionabout the container via the securing element, thereby providing adecoratively wrapped package.

While examples of sequences of method steps are provided herein, it isto be understood that the method steps, as well as the order of thesteps, may vary. Any combination of method steps and sequence thereofmay be utilized so long as the kits described herein are utilized toproduce a decoratively wrapped package in accordance with the presentlydisclosed and claimed inventive concept(s).

Turning now to the Drawings, shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a kit10 constructed in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s). The kit 10 includes a roll of wrapping material12, decorative grass 14, a plurality of eggs 16, a securing element 18,and a label 20. The covering 12, decorative grass 14, plurality of eggs16, a securing element 18, and the label 20 are disposed in packaging 22that maintains all of the above within a single package.

Additional packaging may be disposed within the packaging 22 formaintaining certain elements of the kit 10 together and/or within acertain portion of the packaging 22. For example but not by way oflimitation, the plurality of eggs 16 is depicted in FIG. 1 asadditionally being disposed within packaging 24, and the packaging 24disposed within the packaging 22. However, the disposal of the pluralityof eggs 16 within the packaging 24 is for purposes of example only, andit is to be understood that one or more of any of the elements of thekit 10 may be disposed within a separate packaging within the packaging22. It is also to be understood that no further packaging may beincluded within the packaging of any of the kits constructed inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

The depiction of the eggs 16 in FIG. 1 is for purposes of example only.It is to be understood that the kit may contain any item(s) capable ofbeing disposed in the kit and for which packaging in a container isdesired. In addition, a single item may be disposed in the kit, ormultiple items may be disposed in the kit. When multiple items areincluded in the kit, the plurality of items may be the same or differentfrom one another. Non-limiting examples of other items that may bepackaged include candy and/or other food items; toys; plush toys; plantseeds and/or bulbs; tools; egg coloring materials; coloring, activity,and/or story books; school supplies; gift items; stickers; decals;temporary tattoos; confetti; lighted objects; and combinations thereof.

The kit 10 may further include a bonding material present on any of theelements contained therein. For example but not by way of limitation, abonding material may be disposed on at least a portion of at least oneof a covering (such as, but not limited to, the roll of wrappingmaterial 12), decorative grass 14, and/or the item(s) to be packaged(such as, but not limited to, the plurality of eggs 16). In a particularembodiment, a bonding material may be disposed on at least a portion ofthe label 20.

FIG. 2 depicts the kit 10 in an opened form with the roll of wrappingmaterial 12, decorative grass 14, eggs 16, securing element 18, andlabel 20 disposed outside of the packaging 22.

FIG. 3 depicts a decoratively wrapped package 30 produced from the kit10 described herein above with reference to FIGS. 1-2. The decorativelywrapped package 30 includes a container 32 having the decorative grass14 and plurality of eggs 16 disposed therein. The roll of wrappingmaterial 12 is wrapped about the container 32 and secured thereabout viathe securing element 18. The label 20 is then attached to a portion ofthe decoratively wrapped package 30 (attachment to the wrapping material12 is shown for purposes of illustration only). In addition, the label20 may be secured to the decoratively wrapped package 30 by any methodknown in the art; for example but not by way of limitation, the label 20may be disposed in the container 32 prior to wrapping the wrappingmaterial 12 thereabout so that the label 20 is displayed within thedecoratively wrapped package 30.

Shown in FIG. 4 is another embodiment of a kit 40 constructed inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s). The kit 40 includes a covering 42, decorative grass 44, asingle egg 46, a securing element 48, and a label 50. The covering 42,decorative grass 44, egg 46, securing element 48, and the label 50 aredisposed in packaging 52 that maintains all of the above within a singlepackage. The covering 42 may be a sheet of wrapping material, a bag,and/or a sleeve. The label 50 is depicted as being attached to and/orintegral with the covering 42. However, it is to be understood that thelabel 50 may be a separate, non-attached element of the kit 40.

FIG. 5 depicts the kit 40 in an opened form with the covering 42 (havingthe label 50 attached thereto), the decorative grass 44, the egg 46, andthe securing element 48 disposed outside of the packaging 52. The kit 40may be utilized to form a decoratively wrapped package similar to thedecoratively wrapped package 30 described with reference to FIG. 3.

Shown in FIG. 6 is another embodiment of a kit 60 constructed inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s). The kit 60 includes at least one element for a package 62(i.e., a roll of wrapping material) and at least one item 64 forpackaging in a container about which the element is disposed (i.e., aplurality of eggs). While the at least one element for a package 62 isillustrated as being a single roll of wrapping material, it is to beunderstood that the roll of wrapping material may be replaced by anothertype of covering described herein and/or another element (i.e.,decorative grass, a securing element, a label, etc.). Also, it is to beunderstood that the kit 60 may contain two or more elements for apackage 62. The element for a package 62 and the item 64 are disposed inpackaging 66 that maintains the elements within the kit 60. The kit 60may be utilized to form a decoratively wrapped package similar to thedecoratively wrapped package 30 described with reference to FIG. 3.

In addition to the embodiments described herein above, a kit produced inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)may include element(s) for a package and multiple items for packaging ina container about which the element(s) is disposed. FIG. 7 depicts a kit80 that includes a covering 82, a decorative grass 84, a plurality ofeggs 86, confetti 88, a securing element 90, and a label 92, alldisposed in packaging 94. The use of eggs 86 and confetti 88 are forpurposes of example only, and any combination of multiple items forpackaging in a container may be utilized in a kit constructed inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

The depiction of the combination of eggs 86 and confetti 88 is alsoprovided as a non-limiting example of a kit containing a first item(s)for disposal within a container, along with a second item(s) that may bedisposed into the first item(s). That is, the confetti 88 may bedisposed within one or more of the eggs 86, such as, for example, toform cascarones or confetti eggs. However, the depiction of confetti 88is for purposes of example only, and any item(s) capable of beingdisposed within an egg (i.e., stickers, decals, temporary tattoos, toys,etc.) may be included within an egg-containing kit constructed inaccordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s).

While the kits depicted herein will find particular use with Easterbaskets, it is to be understood that the kits of the presently disclosedand claimed inventive concept(s) are not limited to such use. Indeed,the scope of the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)includes kits that may be utilized within any type of container that isdesirable for packaging one or more items there within, includingcontainers used for all holidays and seasons. Non-limiting examples ofother containers that may be utilized with the currently disclosed andclaimed kits include Christmas stockings and/or gift baskets,Valentine's baskets, summer activity baskets and/or buckets, pool/beachthemed containers, back to school containers (i.e., bags, backpacks,lunchboxes, lockers, etc.), Halloween themed containers, Thanksgivingthemed containers, winter/snow-themed containers, and the like.

Thus, in accordance with the presently disclosed and claimed inventiveconcept(s), there has been provided decorative packaging kits, as wellas methods of producing and using same, that fully satisfy theobjectives and advantages set forth hereinabove. Although the presentlydisclosed and claimed inventive concept(s) has been described inconjunction with the specific drawings, experimentation, results andlanguage set forth hereinabove, it is evident that many alternatives,modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s). Changes maybe made in the construction and the operation of the various components,elements, and assemblies described herein, as well as in the steps orthe sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the presently disclosed and claimedinventive concept(s) as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A kit, comprising: (a) a covering positionable abouta container; (b) a decorative grass disposable within the containerabout which the covering is positionable; (c) at least one itemdisposable on the grass disposable within the container about which thecovering is positionable; (d) a securing element capable of securing thecovering in a position about the container; (e) a label attached to atleast one of (a)-(e) and/or disposable thereon; and (f) packaging inwhich (a)-(e) are disposed.
 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the coveringis further defined as a sheet and/or roll of wrapping material.
 3. Thekit of claim 1, wherein the covering is further defined as a bag orsleeve.
 4. The kit of claim 1, wherein the label is integrally formedwith at least one of (a)-(d).
 5. The kit of claim 1, wherein the labelis separate from (a)-(d).
 6. The kit of claim 5, wherein the label hasbonding material disposed thereon.
 7. The kit of claim 1, wherein thesecuring element is selected from the group consisting of rubber bands,elastic bands, non-elastic bands, string, ribbon, wire, plastic, shrinkfilms, tape, labels, elastic ribbon, wire ties, twist ties, stretchfilm, metal strips, adhesive materials, cohesive materials, barbs,slots, pins, clips, staples, springs, magnets, heat seals, chemicalseals, vibratory seals, and combinations thereof.
 8. The kit of claim 1,wherein the at least one item is selected from the group consisting ofan egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy; a plush toy; a plant seedand/or bulb; a tool; egg coloring material; a coloring, activity, and/orstory book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; a decal; atemporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinations thereof.9. The kit of claim 8, wherein the at least one item is at least oneegg, and wherein the kit further comprises at least one additional itemcapable of disposal within the at least one egg.
 10. A method ofproviding a decoratively wrapped package, the method comprising thesteps of: opening the packaging of the kit of claim 1; disposing thedecorative grass within a container; disposing the at least one item onor in the decorative grass; positioning the covering about thecontainer; and securing the covering in position about the container viathe securing element, thereby providing a decoratively wrapped package.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the covering is further defined asat least one of a sheet of wrapping material, a roll of wrappingmaterial, a bag, and a sleeve.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein thelabel is integrally formed with at least one of (a)-(d) of the kit. 13.The method of claim 10, wherein the label is separate from (a)-(d) ofthe kit, and wherein the method further comprises the step of disposingthe label within and/or attaching the label to the decoratively wrappedpackage.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the label has bondingmaterial disposed thereon.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein thesecuring element is selected from the group consisting of rubber bands,elastic bands, non-elastic bands, string, ribbon, wire, plastic, shrinkfilms, tape, labels, elastic ribbon, wire ties, twist ties, stretchfilm, metal strips, adhesive materials, cohesive materials, barbs,slots, pins, clips, staples, springs, magnets, heat seals, chemicalseals, vibratory seals, and combinations thereof.
 16. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the at least one item is selected from the groupconsisting of an egg; candy and/or other food item; a toy; a plush toy;a plant seed and/or bulb; a tool; egg coloring material; a coloring,activity, and/or story book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; adecal; a temporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinationsthereof.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one item is anegg, and wherein the kit further comprises at least one additional itemcapable of disposal within the egg.
 18. A kit, comprising: (a) at leastone element of a package for a container; and (b) at least one item tobe packaged in the container.
 19. The kit of claim 18, wherein (a) isselected from the group consisting of a covering, a padded fillermaterial, a securing element, a label, and combinations thereof.
 20. Thekit of claim 19, wherein the covering is at least one of a sheet ofwrapping material, a bag, and a sleeve.
 21. The kit of claim 18, wherein(a) comprises a covering for placement about a container and a paddedfiller material for placement into the container, and wherein the paddedfiller material is further defined as a grass and/or grass-likematerial.
 22. The kit of claim 18, wherein the at least one item to beplaced into the container is selected from the group consisting of anegg; candy and/or other food item; a toy; a plush toy; a plant seedand/or bulb; a tool; egg coloring material; a coloring, activity, and/orstory book; a school supply; a gift item; a sticker; a decal; atemporary tattoo; confetti; a lighted object; and combinations thereof.